In the construction of many buildings, one approach to providing access to the basement areas thereof is to build one or more stairwells into the foundation walls, each containing a flight of steps usually leading to the outside. To provide building security and to keep the stairwell clean, it is a common practice to close off the openings to the outside with a hatch containing one or more access doors. To provide for proper drainage and headroom clearance, the rear end of the hatch is usually raised some distance above the outside grade. The doors of the hatch may also contain handles, locks, latches, windows and other features to fit the particular needs of the project in which they are used. Many designs for such hatches exist, and they are readily available.
One difficulty with these hatch designs is that, for aesthetic, mechanical or other considerations, it is difficult to install safety devices, such as hand railings and the like. If such a hand rail is installed in a stairwell, it cannot extend very far beyond the top of the stairwell since it will interfere with the door closure. Because of this, when the standard hand rail is employed, it usually does not extend far enough to allow a person ascending the steps to hold onto the hand rail until the safety of the upper horizontal landing or grade is reached. Similarly, a person descending the steps would have to come partway down the stairwell unaided by the railing before being able to grasp the hand rail.